Two new subvariants of the Omicron strain of COVID-19 identified in recent months could fuel increased cases and hospitalizations in Canada through the fall and winter, infectious disease experts say.
Experts say the variants, labelled BQ.1.1 and BA.2.75, are spreading rapidly in multiple countries. BQ.1.1 is a subvariant of BA.5 and has also been identified in the U.K. where cases have ballooned in recent weeks., while BA. 275, which theis spreading quickly in India and Singapore.
Horacio Bach, a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia, told CTVNews.ca via a phone interview that these subvariants have learned to change in order for their hosts' immune system not to recognize them, causing the host to be more vulnerable to infection.
The WHO's latest epidemiological update also shows cases in Europe are rising. Reported infections have increased eight per cent from last week, and eleven countries in the region have reported cases that are 20 per cent or higher than the previous week, according to the organization.WILL THE BIVALENT VACCINE BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST THESE VARIANTS?is meant to target the Omicron variant along with the original COVID-19 strain, said Bach.
Another study, published in September in scientific journal Cell Host and Microbe, found the BA.275 subvariant has "enhanced neutralization resistance" over the original B.A2 variant, meaning it’s more likely to evade the immune system. However, with the dropped public health measures, Canadians should expect increased transmission, said Elsayed.
“Once you start hitting these very resistant variants or subvariants, there’s a risk that [older people] won't have very good immunity…and then we won’t have good treatments that work well,” he said.
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